Ask Quantum Mechanix!

[Darren]

I think glyph stickers are awesome -- but honestly, I'd rather see them on circles (like the SGC patches) rather than ovals. As an oval it looks like Teal'c's forehead emblem, but with a non-Goa'uld symbol in it.

[QMx Andy]

Hey Darren - that's a great suggestion. Although the idea here was to do a takeoff on the Country ID stickers so many people put on their cars in Europe to show what country they originate from. Those are usually oval. It's more "descrete geek" design; but maybe it's too subtle?

[Scary Kitty]

I didn't think it was too subtle at all. I saw the SGC one at the SG/Firefly con in Burbank last November and thought it was really cute.

[GermanAstra]

I also understood the country ID reference immediately! It is a great idea! Unfortunately I don't own a car

While we're talking blueprints, please don't forget the original SG-fans. I would be very happy about blueprints from the Cheyenne mountain. I work in an engieneer office and draw such drawings for a living, btw.

And I think my brother would be very happy about a Zat that opens, as you mentioned!

Please bear with me, I am new to this whole collection thing, I don't know what "studio scale" means. I think a gate room would be very cool (assuming we are talking SGC gateroom? Or is the one in Atlantis also called that way?) I know a lot of people who are collecting the DST figures complain about the gate being not in scale with them, it is way too small. Can't fit all four figures onto the ramp, either. But I guess a complete gateroom that was in scale with the figures would become HUGE! Need to buy myself a house first, before I can buy this

So, what dimensions are we actually talking here? Just so that I get an idea.

Many thanks for all the great ideas!

[Darkside_Six]

I think that a 20" Odyssey should absolutely be the next product to go. I personally love the ship as do so many other fans out there. Having some features like moving railgun turrets and opening hangar doors would also be cool (maybe even some tiny F-302s to go with it?).

[quade_1]

what about a collection of fridge magnets in the shapes of all the glyphs? Milky Way and Atlantis glyphs. sounds a bit cheesy but for $10 for the collection I am sure you would sell a ton of them.

[Calhoun]

For the base of the Death Glide, why not use a black / gold Goa'uld ship themed base, as if from a hanger bay in a Goa'uld ship? Or possibly a desert theme ala Abydos, with the Glider flying above the "sand" as from the original movie, and episodes like "Full Circle"?

As for Atlantis's popularity versus SG-1... plenty of people watch both, and while SG-1 does have the edge (DST has admitted that SG-1 outsells Atlantis, although not enough to cancel either series), plenty of ships from one have appeared in the other; SG-1 has used a Puddle Jumper, for example, and of course the Daedalus-class ships have been seen in both shows, so as long as you feature a variety of ships from both shows (and you already seem to have well-developed tastes about which ships to feature), then they should sell well.

I agree with Darren about having some diecast-sized ships; not only would they be much cheaper, but sales of such toys might help you determine which types of ships to later develop as larger-scale models (Goa'uld versus Wraith, for example). Just a thought...

[Thunderbird 2]

Die cast / small scale ships.

Budget is a serious issue with collecting, as is space! I think Darren has hit a good point with smal scale / die cast items. Especially for the ships.
Everyone and their cousin has been crying out for these, and I am amongst them! In my case it would be the Prometheus, Odyssey and Daedelus. I fully understand why folk would want the Goa'uld ships as well though, and you could throw in the Beliskiner and O'Neill class Asgard ships too, not to mention the aspects that Atlantis would bring in.

Perhaps a second factor option wold be collector boxed sets?
- For example, Prometheus, the Cargo Ship and Anubis's command Hatak in a Lost City Collectors edition?


Model kits.

Torn here. I like model kits, though my construction skills can wobble. - If your Enterprise refit is anything to go by though, the Odyssey would look amazing! The SGC gateroom and the Atlantis Gatrium would be amazing as well. Esp if the Gatrium included the means to make the stain glass window behind the Stargate.

SG1 V Atlantis?

I must admit, I prefer SG1 by a long way, but its because of its storyline, development, and the consistency with the characters. This carried over into the collectables. - Having said that, if good relica models of both versions of the Stargate were available ,I'd consider them on an even basis.

Replica weapons.

Re Ronon's sword, another problem to consider is the law. Replica guns and collectable swords / knives is a tricky area here in the UK. -It might be in other countries too.

The Bumper sticker.

I am a UK citizen an it threw me at first, (I don't drive myself, and I did think Teal'c) but I suddenly twigged. Nice one!


Gate network map idea

I agree to two seperate maps. I could be set out like a railway / subway network diagram, with caption boxes including a picture next to the gate symbol, for noted planets?

Fridge Magnets

Quade 1 - Your fridge magnets isn't a cheesy idea, it s a great one! Practical too. Something accesible to fans whre model building or more expensive collectables wouldn't be feasible.

My original suggestion - A USB powered Stargate desk ornament!

When you get email - the chevrons light up, as does the event horizon, with the activation noise! Two versions SG1 and Atlantis, with a possible Universe version later on?

[Roddy_McKay]

I love the idea of die cast metal models, as opposed to plastic.

Any way Stargate die cast models (Milky Way and Pegasus) can be added to the list? Hasbro was going to do them, but never did and I was soooooo disappointed.

[QMx Andy]

Hey there everyone! Sorry for the tardy reply. For some reason the forum software stopped sending me notices when you guys posted, which was how I knew to come and post replies.

Anyway, lots of good feedback which I *really* appreciate. Let me try and give you some thoughtful replies:

Die Cast

We haven't done any die cast models to date for two important reasons: cost and detail. Die cast models don't show nearly as much detail as styrene, or better yet, resin. It's the nature of the material and the casting process. The Al'Kesh, for example, has *tons* of little detailing all over the ship. With a good master pattern, we can easily reproduce that with a high degree of accuracy. With die cast that detail would be lost.

The other issue with die casting is cost. Die casting is actually much more expensive at lower volumes. If you think you can sell, say, 50K of a die cast model, then you can probably bring a model in at, say, $20. But if you think sales are more like 1,000 units, that same die cast model will end up costing $1,000. That's why you don't see too many of the more exotic ship designs coming out die cast.

BTW, you might be surprised how solid and heavy a finished ship replica built up from a resin kit can be. You might even mistake it for die cast, except it'll look a lot nicer

As for shelf space, I totally hear that. I put one more ship on display in my house (beautiful or not) and my wife is going to kill me. That was part of the inspiration for the mid-scale replicas like the F-302. With an 8-inch wingspan, most people can probably find space for the F-302 and it's still big enough to show *lots* of detail. Plus we can sell it for about a 1/4 of what a larger resin replica costs.

Moving on to the Stargate network map: Have you guys seen our Map of the Verse? We did it two-sided because we realized a lot of people (especially roleplayers) would want it for reference. By printing both sides, we saved them the cost of having to pay for two pages. And for folks who wanted to frame both sides, they can still buy two maps and it doesn't cost any more than it would it buy two one-sided maps.

Death Glider base: Thanks, Calhoun, that's a great idea. Only thing I might add is a bit of an ancient ruin poking up through the sands

Magnets sound like fun, but really, I'd love that desktop widget!

Thanks again for the feedback, everyone. The F-302 should be in the warehouse very soon, possibly as soon as next week. If you're thinking of getting one of these and haven't signed up for the newsletter, you really, really should

[Jedigreedo]

I can definitely appreciate the devotion to resin; I have a 1:1 replica of the MACO rifle from Enterprise that's fully cast in resin, and it's incredibly heavy and beautiful.

A 2-sided network map sounds best to me, even if you only want one side it just adds more value to it by having a potential dual use.

Even if smaller diecast ships are out of the question, what about using resin for them? I'd love to see 3"-scale resin versions of the Earth fleet, or Asgard fleet, or Goa'uld fleet. Perhaps each as a set in a display case?

Also, in regards to the bumper stickers, any chance of magnetic versions?

[QMx Andy]

Yeah, it would be cool if you could buy your own little fleet and then have epic space battles on the coffee table :-)

[QMx Andy]

By the way, I'm really hoping everyone who was interested in the F-302 signed up for the newsletter before today (http://insider.qmxonline.com). If we missed anyone, go ahead and sign up now and let me know and I'll get the "notice" resent to you.

[Jedigreedo]

Yeah, it would be cool if you could buy your own little fleet and then have epic space battles on the coffee table :-)

I grew out of that a long time ago... Now I do all space battles at my computer desk, so I can have proper backgrounds on my monitor and nobody interrupts during the dramatic moments.

By the way, I'm really hoping everyone who was interested in the F-302 signed up for the newsletter before today (http://insider.qmxonline.com). If we missed anyone, go ahead and sign up now and let me know and I'll get the "notice" resent to you.

D'oh, kept forgetting to sign up for that. Signed up now, though!

[QMx Andy]

I grew out of that a long time ago... Now I do all space battles at my computer desk, so I can have proper backgrounds on my monitor and nobody interrupts during the dramatic moments.

Heh. Well, my co-workers already think I'm strange enough – and I work at a collectibles company – so I try to keep the epic space battles at home as much as possible.

D'oh, kept forgetting to sign up for that. Signed up now, though!

Yep! You should be getting a resend of that special e-mail shortly :-)